By Huldah Shado
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday condemned the Federal Government over the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), describing it as a fraudulent arrangement designed to enrich fund managers and political elites at the expense of Nigerian police officers and workers.
Speaking at the National Assembly complex during a protest by retired police officers, Sowore reiterated their central demand for the exclusion of all police personnel from the CPS.
He branded the scheme a “Ponzi arrangement” that strips workers of their life savings and leaves them destitute after decades of service.
“This pension system is a scam,” Sowore said. “Those entrusted with managing retirement savings live extravagantly while the true owners of the funds can’t even afford basic necessities in retirement.”
He lamented that while retirement once signified comfort for civil servants, many police retirees now struggle for survival.
According to him, police personnel, despite numbering over 350,000, the largest workforce among security agencies, suffer the harshest conditions, unlike counterparts in the Army, Customs, Immigration, or DSS, who operate separate pension systems.
Accusing the government of condemning police officers to premature deaths, Sowore stressed that Nigeria’s stability rests heavily on their shoulders.
Despite his history of clashes with the police, he declared solidarity with their cause, recalling violent encounters with officers, including an attempt to break his hand during a protest.
“My grievances are not with individual policemen. They have families and put their lives on the line for the nation,” he said.
Sowore also ridiculed the political elite, particularly lawmakers, accusing them of lavish spending that dwarfs the entire yearly salary of police officers.
He noted the irony of senators moving with convoys of policemen while failing to ensure their welfare.
He urged police personnel not to allow themselves to be exploited by politicians during elections, warning that their plight is fundamentally political.
“Do not defend a system that abandons you. The real adversaries are political leaders who live in luxury while your families wallow in poverty,” he charged, drawing applause from the retirees.
